Saturday, December 24, 2016

As of May 2017, Air Malta will be discontinuing its
Manchester route to focus on other, more profitable ones, the national airline
said in a statement.Air Malta said that it will be increasing
frequencies on Munich, Brussels, Amsterdam, Vienna, Zurich, Rome, Catania,
Lyon, Palermo, Prague and Moscow.

"Air Malta is focusing its efforts on its best
performers and will operate with up to double daily flights in peak summer to
Munich, Rome and Catania," Air Malta said. "Next summer, Air Malta will be
operating 150 weekly flights to 29 destinations and planning to carry 1.2
million passengers while continue operating with a fleet of eight aircraft
similar to this year," it added. (Source: maltatoday.com, 23-Dec-2016)

An Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A320-200 (5A-ONB), performing
flight 8U-209 from Sebha to Tripoli (Libya) with 111 passengers and six crew,
was en route at FL340 nearing the top of descent into Tripoli when the aircraft
did not start the descent but changed the course to Malta due to unlawful
interference on board.The aircraft landed safely on Malta's RWY 31 about 40-mins
later at 11:32L (10:32Z). The aircraft taxied onto RWY 23 and stopped 850m short
of the runway end of that runway. Engines were still running 90-mins after
landing and were subsequently shut down.

Malta's government reported two hijackers claiming
to be armed with hand grenades took control of the aircraft and that negotiations
with the hijackers were under way.

Malta's Prime Minister reported at 14:50L that all passengers and some crew members have been released, only the two
hijackers and some crew were still on board of the aircraft.

At 15:45L Malta's Prime Minister reported that the
hijackers surrendered and were taken into custody. All people aboard the
aircraft have disembarked.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Emirates
is to re-route its daily service between Dubai and Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus,
from Feb. 1st, 2017. The current five-days-a-week Dubai/Tunis/Malta/Dubai route
will be changed to Dubai/Larnaca/Malta/Larnaca/Dubai, the same as the current
flight operating every Monday and Wednesday.

The Malta route allows travellers to
book tickets between Malta and Cyprus. The service will be operated by Boeing
777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration, with eight private suites in
First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class, and 310 spacious seats in
Economy Class.

Starting Feb. 1st, EK-109
will depart Dubai at 0750, arriving in Larnaca at 1020. It will then depart
Larnaca at 1150, arriving in Malta at 1325. The return flight, EK-110, will
leave Malta at 1455, arriving in Larnaca at 1815. It will then depart Larnaca
at 1930, and land in Dubai at 0125 the next day. (Source: timesofmalta.com, 22-Dec-2016)

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, announced a new summer route from Katowice (Poland) to Malta with effect from Mar. 10th, 2017. This new route will be offered twice weekly, on Mondays and Fridays. (Source: routesonline.com, 22-Dec-2016)

Malta
International Airport todaycelebrated its five millionth passenger this year,
marking a new milestone in its aviation history.

This
means that the airport increased its annual traffic by one million passengers
in three years and gains further significance when considering that the airport
went from three million passengers to four million between 2008 and 2013.

"This is
a remarkable accomplishment for us, especially since not long ago, the numbers
reached today were inconceivable for Malta. Our five millionth passenger is
welcomed as a testament to the hard work put in by all industry stakeholders," said Malta IAP CEO, A. Borg.

"With this new milestone under
our belt, we now shoulder added responsibilities that inevitably stem from
these numbers. At the top of our priority list is doubtlessly the need to
constantly invest in infrastructure that is fitting for Malta's only air
terminal," Mr Borg added.

While
encouraging everyone to continue to pursue service excellence in the coming
year, Mr Borg went on to thank the team at Malta International Airport and all
stakeholders who were crucial in achieving this milestone. (Source: maltairport.com, 21-Dec-2016)

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

The German Navy Elbe-class tender FGS Main (A 515) sailed into Valletta Port (the Grand Harbour) this morning on a courtesy visit. The German tender is currently deployed in the Mediterranean and assigned to E.U. Naval Force Mediterranean (Operation Sofia).FGS Main is presently berthing alongside at Pinto-4 wharf, and she's scheduled to sail from Valletta Port next week. (20-Dec-2016)

Wizz Air yesterday announced planned service expansion from its Cluj base in Romania, scheduled to commence in summer 2017 season. Planned new service includes the launching of four routes from March 2017. One of the new routes being Cluj will be to Malta IAP (effective from Mar. 26th). This new route will be offered twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Sundays (Source: routeonline.com, 14-Dec-2016)

Thursday, December 8, 2016

The Spanish Navy Santa Maria-class frigate ESPS Navarra (F 85) has sailed into Valletta Port (the Grand Harbour) this morning on a courtesy visit. This is second visit in Valletta Port this year. The Spanish frigate is currently deployed in the Mediterranean and assigned to E.U. Naval Force Mediterranean (Operation Sofia).

ESPS Navarra is presently berthing alongside at Pinto-4 wharf and she's expected to sail from Valletta Port in the coming days. (8-Dec-2016)

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

The winter season opened on excellent footing at Malta
International Airport, with November registering a staggering growth of 22.4%
over the same month last year.

This is by far the highest monthly increase for 2016,
going on to displace March’s 19% growth rate from the top spot. November’s
spurt augurs well for the key stakeholders in the industry’s stepped up
efforts, to ensure that the Maltese islands are an attractive, year-round
holiday destination.

This growth in passenger movements was recorded in
parallel with an upturn of 17% in aircraft movements and an increased seat
capacity of 21.3%. This increase partly stemmed from the airport’s enhanced
winter schedule, offering no less than 18 new connections for the season.

Airlines were also more efficient in filling up the
available seats, with November having registered a seat load factor (SLF) of
82.4%. In absolute terms, the airport gained more than 63,000 passengers over
the same month last year.

The airport’s top five markets all grew by varying
degrees and featured a newcomer. Belgium made an appearance in this list for
the first time, following increased connectivity to Brussels.

Outside of the top five markets, and in line with the
airport’s strategy to recoup traffic from the Iberian Peninsula, Spain
continued to grow at an impressive rate. The Spanish market’s 87% upturn
resulted from the introduction of a twice-weekly flight to Valencia, increased
operations to both Madrid and Barcelona, and Girona’s extension into the winter
period.

November’s results further enhance
Malta International Airport’s optimism for the winter period, as the airport
focuses on welcoming 5 million passengers before the year is through. (Source: maltairport, Dec-2016)

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Air
Malta is planning to operate 150 weekly flights to 29 destinations next summer.
With this schedule, running from the Mar. 26th till Oct. 28, 2017, the
Maltese airline is planning to carry 1.2 million passengers while continue
operating with a fleet of eight aircraft similar to this year.

Next summer Air Malta will decrease some
frequencies for all or part of the season on London Gatwick, Berlin, Manchester
and Geneva and dropping Athens and Frankfurt. However the airline will still
retain its code-share flights to Frankfurt where Lufthansa will be the
operating carrier with two daily flights.

This
summer schedule will maximise opportunities, increase efficiency and make
flights more attractive, both for travellers from Malta as well as for the
tourists visiting the islands next summer.

"We have
focused on our core routes; increasing frequencies on them whilst decreasing or
stopping operations to low performing ones. We have increased frequencies to
the most convenient international airports enabling our guests to fly when they
want with the least ground transportation costs possible. Our strategy to
increase frequencies will translate into better opportunities for short-break
visitors, growth in tourism numbers to Malta, whilst operating with increasing
aircraft utilisation", said J. Galea Air Malta’s Acting Chief Executive.

"We are
determined to continue maximising our limited resources to achieve better
operational efficiency and reap the best opportunities from our route network.
We pride to operate the best conveniently timed flight schedule and route
network to and from Malta by operating to the best airports that offer
connections far and beyond Air Malta's network though our code-share partners", added Mr Galea.

Next
summer Air Malta will also continue being the largest charter operator to/from
Malta and is planning an interesting program for Maltese and foreign operators.
Discussions with charter operators are currently underway. (Source: Air Malta, 30-Nov-2016)